Cost of rebuilding Missouri River crossings in South Dakota expected to exceed $1.5B

Transportation Dept. and lawmakers wonder who will pay the bill

The bill is coming due.

That was the message South Dakota Department of Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt recently shared with state lawmakers, forecasting the looming need to replace several bridges that traverse the Missouri River. All built at roughly the same time frame and within a 170-mile stretch, their sunsets are also clustered.

And replacing them won’t be cheap.

Warning that budget estima…